"Delusion In Death" by J.D. Robb

4 - 4.5 stars

Let me start by saying that the only reason I didn’t give „Delusion In Death“, book #35 in the „In Death“ series, five stars was because this was such a hard book for me to read. Reason for that was the murder investigation.

It’s happy hour in a popular after work bar, owned, of course, by Roarke. A fight breaks out and twelve minutes later almost everyone in that bar, more than 80 people, are dead. It’s obvious they killed each other, with bare hands, teeth, forks, broken glass or pieces of the furniture. Eve Dallas has to find out how something like that could happen and who is responsible for such a gruesome deed.

I’m bad with violence and gory scenes so this plotline was a bit hard for me to stomach. Just imagining and thinking about this horrible crime was hard enough, but on top of that J.D. Robb actually went into great detail to describe the crime scene, recovery of the bodies and examination of the corpses. So if you are a bit sensitive about things like that you should prepare yourself before you start reading this book.

While it was even darker than most of the other books in the series, it somehow felt more personal at the same time. Maybe personal isn’t the right word, but what I’m trying to say is that I can only remember a few other books where I was as invested in the hunt of the murder.

But do you want to know the most amazing thing? Throughout this entire horrible investigation J.D. Robb still managed to create scenes that made me smile. They didn’t feel inappropriate or tasteless, but were welcome and exquisitely done breathers in the middle of all those tragic events.

Then there were Roarke and Eve, of course. You can just count on them to provide heartwarming, sexy and amusing scenes. I know some readers actually think they are getting “boring” and want more drama (I simply can’t understand that!) but I like the way their relationship progressed. It feels natural and right. I just love them united, strong and secure in their love of each other.

Of course there was some friction in this book, but that’s completely understandable considering the emotional stress they were under due to this nerve-wracking case. But then their arguments and little discussions just felt like natural parts of a healthy relationship. I don’t need some overdone drama, blown completely out of proportion, just reading about the nuances and ups and downs of their “everyday life” is exciting and rewarding enough. There will be more noticeable changes and developments in their relationship when it’s time. For me there’s no need to rush.

Another of my highlights of this series that got a lot of attention in this installment of the series, are the character and relationship developments. This time we got a bit more insight into Mira and Eve’s complex relationship and it was incredibly touching. There were also some surprising, but strangely appealing scenes between Eve, Summerset and Roarke. I really like the almost fatherly connection he has to Roarke and I adore his and Eve’s bickering. This time we got to see them from a different perspective and it was still fascinating.

As the cherry on top, Robb presents us with the most adorable Bella/Eve scene. It’s so cute how Eve is slowly getting used to the little kid.

One of the things I enjoyed most about “Delusion In Death” was the fact that there were so many plot strings, personal and professional. They were connected, but at the same time they never crowded each other or took the spotlight from the investigation. J.D. Robb is especially good at that, but it somehow stood out more to me this time.

This was another great book in a formidable series, with subtle, but rewarding personal developments and a hard, brutal, but nevertheless engaging murder investigation. A must-read for fans of the series. Newcomers should start at the beginning with “Naked In Death”.